Village Board approves salary increase for mayor
The Greenport Village Board voted unanimously Thursday night to increase the mayor’s annual salary from $18,000 to $30,000.
The change will take place in the village’s 2016-17 fiscal year, which starts June 1.
The board did not vote to increase the salaries of the four trustees, which will remain at $11,600.
Mayor George Hubbard Jr. first brought up the idea of increasing salaries for elected officials at the board’s Dec. 22 meeting, where he proposed increasing the mayor’s annual salary from $18,000 to $24,000, and the trustees’ annual salary from $11,600 to $13,000.
Mr. Hubbard said the village board members hadn’t had a raise since 2006. He said he puts in 30 hours a week on village matters.
The four trustees at the time supported increasing the mayor’s salary, but not their own.
At the Jan. 19 board work session, Trustee Doug Roberts proposed raising the mayor’s salary to as high at $36,000, while not increasing the trustees’ salary, and while taking away trustee’s health care compensation, which he said amounts to about $11,330 per year.
“If we keep the mayor’s salary where it is, future mayors will have to take an oath of poverty, be retired or be wealthy and not have to work,” Mr. Roberts said.
Mr. Hubbard, meanwhile, present the board with a chart showing the salaries of a number of other East End mayors, such as East Hampton ($25,000), Westhampton Beach ($25,000) and Sag Harbor ($20,400.).
At Thursday’s board meeting, Mr. Hubbard proposed a resolution to increase the mayor’s salary to $30,000, which he said was a compromise between the $36,000 Mr. Roberts had suggested and the $24,000 he initially proposed.
It passed unanimously.
A second resolution listed on the agenda proposed giving health benefits to the mayor, but not the trustees. It was tabled at Mr. Hubbard’s suggestion and not voted on.
Mr. Hubbard, and Trustees Julia Robins, Jack Martilotta and Doug Roberts all have declined the health care coverage, and Trustee Mary Bess Phillips remained the only board member to accept the health care compensation.
Photo caption: Members of the Greenport Village Board. (Credit: Tim Gannon)
Correction: Mr. Roberts didn’t sponsor a resolution to give health benefits to the mayor. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Mr. Roberts proposed that resolution.
